WEBVTT - Finding Jesus in Iran 0:00:08.060 --> 0:00:11.480 How does a girl born into a militantly Muslim nation 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:15.020 like Iran find Christ as Savior? How was she then 0:00:15.020 --> 0:00:17.930 perceived by her family, her culture? And how do you 0:00:17.930 --> 0:00:21.410 get discipled in a land where owning or distributing Bibles 0:00:21.410 --> 0:00:26.150 is illegal? Join us for a truly epic story. That's next. Hey, 0:00:26.150 --> 0:00:29.120 welcome to the land and the book. Our team joins 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:31.370 you every week for a one hour flyover of the 0:00:31.370 --> 0:00:35.450 Middle East, leading that team doctor, Charlie Dyer. I'm John Jaeger, 0:00:35.450 --> 0:00:37.820 and in the control room, Dan Anderson. And now that 0:00:37.820 --> 0:00:41.000 you're here, well, you're part of that team, too. And 0:00:41.000 --> 0:00:43.250 because you're part of that team, maybe you wonder, how 0:00:43.250 --> 0:00:45.890 do I share the gospel with my Jewish friend? It's 0:00:45.890 --> 0:00:48.290 a good question that many people ask. And the question 0:00:48.290 --> 0:00:51.380 recognizes the fact that there really is a need for 0:00:51.380 --> 0:00:54.290 a sensitive approach to sharing with Jewish people. Right, Charlie? 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:56.240 That's right. John. And that's why our friends at Life 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:59.210 in Messiah want to help answer that question. They put 0:00:59.210 --> 0:01:02.360 together a series of helpful articles on how you can 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:05.030 share the good news with Jewish people around you. You'll 0:01:05.030 --> 0:01:10.250 learn about Jewish cultural sensitivities, how anti-Semitism affects Jewish evangelism, 0:01:10.250 --> 0:01:14.780 the importance of messianic prophecy, and more. To access the articles, 0:01:14.780 --> 0:01:18.470 visit Life in Messiah. Org click on the Moody Radio 0:01:18.470 --> 0:01:21.560 logo and sign up. You will receive the articles to 0:01:21.560 --> 0:01:24.410 equip you with practical ways to share the good News 0:01:24.410 --> 0:01:28.310 with Jewish people around you or online. Again, click on 0:01:28.310 --> 0:01:32.360 the Moody Radio icon at Life in Messiah org. 0:01:32.810 --> 0:01:35.990 Well, last week, the International Court of Justice issued its 0:01:35.990 --> 0:01:39.560 ruling on the charge that Israel is committing genocide in 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:42.530 its war against Hamas. What did the court decide and 0:01:42.530 --> 0:01:43.940 what happens next? 0:01:43.970 --> 0:01:48.320 Well, the decision basically told Israel to prevent genocide, but 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:51.140 didn't order an end to the war with Hamas. The 0:01:51.140 --> 0:01:54.740 court said there was plausibility to South Africa's claims, and 0:01:54.740 --> 0:01:58.160 that some of Israel's actions could potentially fall within the 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.550 terms of the Genocide Convention. But they didn't take the 0:02:01.550 --> 0:02:04.910 action actually sought by South Africa, which was to order 0:02:04.910 --> 0:02:08.750 an immediate and unilateral ceasefire and they didn't use the 0:02:08.750 --> 0:02:11.510 word desist in any of the rulings, which would have 0:02:11.510 --> 0:02:15.920 suggested they were convinced genocide was actively taking place. Now, 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:18.530 they also issued a statement calling for the immediate and 0:02:18.530 --> 0:02:23.269 unconditional release of the hostages still being held in response 0:02:23.270 --> 0:02:25.880 to the ruling. The United States said it believes the 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:29.300 allegations of genocide are unfounded, and the UK said it 0:02:29.300 --> 0:02:32.930 has considerable concerns with the ruling. Now in terms of 0:02:32.930 --> 0:02:36.140 what happens next. Israel has 30 days to address the 0:02:36.139 --> 0:02:39.290 concerns raised by the court and to make sure sufficient 0:02:39.290 --> 0:02:42.649 aid is making its way into Gaza. At the same time, 0:02:42.650 --> 0:02:46.160 they can also continue to push forward against Hamas. Now, 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.980 the court could take months to render a final decision. 0:02:48.980 --> 0:02:52.160 So this drama will continue to play out for some time. 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.550 But basically, Israel came out as well as could be 0:02:55.550 --> 0:02:59.630 expected given the PR war being waged against them right now. 0:02:59.660 --> 0:03:02.329 Charlie, had the verdict been otherwise, what does South Africa 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:05.450 get out of this, other than a certain smug standing, 0:03:05.450 --> 0:03:07.519 you know, amongst other nations of the world? 0:03:07.730 --> 0:03:10.460 That's it. And South Africa was hoping to lead the 0:03:10.460 --> 0:03:15.200 nations of the world, basically to ostracize and condemn Israel. 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:18.140 So it could have been very difficult on Israel in 0:03:18.139 --> 0:03:22.190 terms of facing other nations, but thankfully that didn't happen. 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:25.820 Well, the war in Gaza continues as Israeli forces tighten 0:03:25.820 --> 0:03:28.340 their grip on the southern part of the area. What 0:03:28.340 --> 0:03:31.010 has been happening, Charlie? And is there any sign of 0:03:31.010 --> 0:03:34.100 an end to the conflict or a reduction in the tension? 0:03:34.220 --> 0:03:36.980 Well, a number of proposals have been offered to release 0:03:36.980 --> 0:03:39.620 the hostages and end the fighting, but so far no 0:03:39.620 --> 0:03:44.000 agreements been reached. Most involve a temporary ceasefire, followed by 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.150 a staged release of both hostages and some terrorists in 0:03:47.150 --> 0:03:50.630 Israeli prisons. Some suggest this could then be followed by 0:03:50.630 --> 0:03:55.610 a permanent ceasefire and eventually the establishment of a Palestinian state. 0:03:55.850 --> 0:03:59.900 A temporary ceasefire and hostage release might be possible, but 0:03:59.900 --> 0:04:02.360 there are several problems in trying to get an agreement 0:04:02.360 --> 0:04:05.900 on a long term solution. Hamas leadership has said it 0:04:05.900 --> 0:04:09.140 will not recognise Israel or agree to a peace treaty 0:04:09.140 --> 0:04:12.559 with them, and Israel has said it won't allow Hamas 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:15.440 to remain in control of Gaza or be part of 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:20.300 any future Palestinian government. And Netanyahu is even concerned about 0:04:20.300 --> 0:04:24.320 having a Palestinian state at some point. Israel's also lost 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:28.400 faith in the Palestinian Authority and its leadership. Meanwhile, the 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:31.909 US and a number of other countries temporarily halted funding 0:04:31.910 --> 0:04:35.210 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the 0:04:35.210 --> 0:04:39.679 Palestinian Refugees when it was discovered that several workers participated 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:43.640 in the October 7th Hamas attack, while Israel's fight with 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:47.300 Hamas continues. It also has its eyes fixed on Hezbollah 0:04:47.330 --> 0:04:50.390 to the north. Israel has doubled the number of troops 0:04:50.390 --> 0:04:54.860 stationed along the northern border and completed training exercises for them, 0:04:54.860 --> 0:04:59.270 focusing on urban warfare and fighting in winter weather conditions. 0:04:59.300 --> 0:05:02.270 The standoff up there continues, and the hope is that 0:05:02.270 --> 0:05:05.870 the troop buildup, the strong response to Hezbollah's attacks, and 0:05:05.870 --> 0:05:09.180 the example of what happened. Hamas in Gaza will cause 0:05:09.180 --> 0:05:13.050 Hezbollah to back off on their threats. Israel's goal is 0:05:13.050 --> 0:05:16.170 to safely allow those Israelis from the north who've been 0:05:16.170 --> 0:05:20.040 displaced to return home, hopefully without having to launch another 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:21.330 war against Hezbollah. 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:23.820 Charlie, back to this issue of the hostages, how likely 0:05:23.820 --> 0:05:26.280 is it that the real issue is so many of 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:29.760 them are either dead or questionable, that were that to 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:33.420 come to surface, this would be a real problem for 0:05:33.420 --> 0:05:35.369 Hamas and for the whole situation. 0:05:35.790 --> 0:05:38.190 Uh, I think the real issue for Hamas, they they 0:05:38.190 --> 0:05:41.160 don't care what Israel thinks. Their main goal is to 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:44.160 keep those hostages as long as possible, because the hostages 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:46.529 are what are keeping Israel from trying to go after 0:05:46.529 --> 0:05:49.770 the leadership. Uh, they know the leadership are surrounded by hostages, 0:05:49.770 --> 0:05:52.530 and whatever hostages are alive will probably be killed at 0:05:52.529 --> 0:05:55.710 that point. So they're the bargaining chip, and Hamas is 0:05:55.710 --> 0:05:58.650 going to keep them around as long as possible. Certainly, uh, 0:05:58.650 --> 0:06:01.710 when the rest of the hostages are released. Uh, additional 0:06:01.710 --> 0:06:05.220 information on the atrocities committed by Hamas will come out. 0:06:05.220 --> 0:06:07.920 From Moody Radio. This is the land and the book. 0:06:07.950 --> 0:06:10.830 Our opening segment brings you current events from the Middle East. 0:06:10.830 --> 0:06:13.979 Our host, Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger. While the world 0:06:13.980 --> 0:06:17.820 has been focused on Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, 0:06:17.850 --> 0:06:21.540 another potential conflict is beginning to unfold in Syria and 0:06:21.540 --> 0:06:25.589 Iraq as the US explores removing its forces from the region. 0:06:25.589 --> 0:06:27.839 What exactly is happening and why? 0:06:27.990 --> 0:06:30.150 Yeah, just about the time we say, man, it can't 0:06:30.150 --> 0:06:34.020 get any worse. It does. This story illustrates the complexity 0:06:34.020 --> 0:06:37.710 of the Middle East and the danger of unintended consequences. 0:06:37.860 --> 0:06:41.070 There have been more than 150 attacks on U.S. forces 0:06:41.070 --> 0:06:44.970 in Iraq and Syria since October 7th and last weekend, 0:06:44.970 --> 0:06:47.730 a drone attack on U.S. forces in the northern tip 0:06:47.730 --> 0:06:52.109 of Jordan killed several soldiers and wounded many others. The 0:06:52.110 --> 0:06:55.290 drones were launched by Iranian backed forces in either Iraq 0:06:55.290 --> 0:06:58.680 or Syria. Prior to this attack, we had already started 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:01.620 discussions with Iraq on the phased reduction of forces from 0:07:01.620 --> 0:07:05.970 that country. Currently, we have about 2500 troops still in Iraq, 0:07:05.970 --> 0:07:09.300 helping to prevent a resurgence of ISIS. And the situation 0:07:09.300 --> 0:07:12.900 in Syria and Jordan is more complex. We have 900 0:07:12.900 --> 0:07:15.840 troops in Syria helping to contain a still ongoing threat 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:20.640 from ISIS there, and another 3000 in Jordan serving as advisors. Now, 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:22.620 that might seem like a small number of troops in 0:07:22.620 --> 0:07:25.440 these countries, but they've helped stem the growth of both 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:29.400 Shiite and Sunni fundamentalist groups. The problem is that both 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:32.700 Iran and ISIS are working to strengthen their presence in 0:07:32.700 --> 0:07:36.630 those countries. In Syria alone there, there are still 10,000 0:07:36.630 --> 0:07:40.800 battle hardened ISIS militants detained in prisons, with an additional 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:44.610 50,000 women and children held in security camps. And Iran 0:07:44.610 --> 0:07:47.880 continues to strengthen its Shiite allies in those countries to 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.480 expand their reach toward the Mediterranean. So what happens if 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:54.750 our forces leave? Likely, we'll see a rapid growth of 0:07:54.750 --> 0:07:58.530 ISIS in Syria and Iraq and possibly even Jordan, with 0:07:58.530 --> 0:08:02.370 Sunni Muslims turning to ISIS in their ongoing conflict against 0:08:02.370 --> 0:08:05.700 the Shiites and Alawites. And Iran will increase its support 0:08:05.700 --> 0:08:08.340 for its allies in the region. Now, if we're not careful, 0:08:08.340 --> 0:08:11.520 we could see a resurgence of ISIS in large swaths 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:14.640 of Syria and Iraq, similar to the Taliban returning to 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:18.150 power in Afghanistan when we pulled out, along with greater 0:08:18.150 --> 0:08:21.000 Iranian influence in that same area. Now, the US could 0:08:21.000 --> 0:08:24.450 find itself embroiled in a conflict with both groups. And 0:08:24.450 --> 0:08:27.360 that's something President Biden wants to avoid as he heads 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:29.640 into this presidential election campaign. 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:32.130 How much of a grasp do you think US foreign 0:08:32.130 --> 0:08:34.890 policy makers have on what you've just shared? 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:37.949 I think they understand where these forces are, who they are. 0:08:37.950 --> 0:08:41.340 What they don't understand is what drives them religiously. They 0:08:41.340 --> 0:08:45.059 still think in terms of of politics or economics, but 0:08:45.059 --> 0:08:47.610 this is a religious conflict, and that's what keeps it 0:08:47.610 --> 0:08:48.960 going for so long. 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:52.440 The outpouring of aid from Christians to Israel following the 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:56.250 October 7th Hamas attack has been remarkable, though some in 0:08:56.250 --> 0:09:00.750 Israel are concerned that the aid comes with missionary strings attached. 0:09:00.750 --> 0:09:03.480 What do they mean, and how should we respond? 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:07.110 Well, the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews especially, are very sensitive 0:09:07.110 --> 0:09:10.560 to missionary activity because of past activity where the church 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:14.280 tried to force conversion on the Jews. More gentle approaches 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:18.240 were soon followed by threats, intimidation, even physical violence, and 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:22.650 that makes them nervous. Several news articles appeared, raising questions 0:09:22.650 --> 0:09:25.620 about the motives of the different Christian groups offering aid. 0:09:25.650 --> 0:09:28.590 I was really excited to see The Jerusalem Post run 0:09:28.590 --> 0:09:31.560 a response article from a messianic Jew. As he said 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:34.110 in the article, faith comes from one's heart. It can't 0:09:34.110 --> 0:09:37.500 be purchased through bribes. And while acknowledging the concerns, he 0:09:37.500 --> 0:09:39.930 also made it clear that there are no strings attached 0:09:39.929 --> 0:09:43.170 to the aid he and his organization have been providing. 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:45.780 He shares his faith with those who are interested, as 0:09:45.780 --> 0:09:48.900 is his right. But he doesn't force his faith on others, 0:09:48.900 --> 0:09:51.510 nor is it a requirement for them to receive help. 0:09:51.510 --> 0:09:54.240 That's a good approach now, in terms of what Christians 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:58.470 have been doing. Samaritan's purse donated 14 ambulances to replace 0:09:58.470 --> 0:10:02.130 the ones destroyed by Hamas. Each ambulance was named from again, 0:10:02.130 --> 0:10:05.910 David Adom medic killed in the conflict. They've also ordered 0:10:05.910 --> 0:10:09.040 an additional seven. Armoured ambulances that should arrive later in 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:13.449 the spring. Another Christian organization called passages donated a half 0:10:13.450 --> 0:10:16.870 million dollars to help two of the devastated communities. I 0:10:16.870 --> 0:10:19.870 talked with Tom Doyle from Uncharted Ministries. They were able 0:10:19.870 --> 0:10:22.300 to donate funds to purchase an ambulance as well as 0:10:22.300 --> 0:10:25.750 an ambush cycle, a medically equipped motor scooter. The bottom 0:10:25.750 --> 0:10:28.540 line we do hope that our love will bring individuals 0:10:28.540 --> 0:10:31.870 to accept the forgiveness offered by Jesus, but are these 0:10:31.870 --> 0:10:35.439 Christian groups attaching strings to their gifts? Absolutely not. They're 0:10:35.440 --> 0:10:37.840 motivated by love for the Jewish people, and that's the 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:38.920 way it should be. 0:10:39.460 --> 0:10:41.740 And that's a look at current events. Boy, have we 0:10:41.740 --> 0:10:44.710 got a conversation for you. A girl from Iran finds 0:10:44.710 --> 0:10:47.800 Jesus as savior. You've got to stick around for that 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:50.110 and tell a friend about this program. Will you let 0:10:50.110 --> 0:10:52.840 them know about our website as well? Our podcast is 0:10:52.840 --> 0:11:10.510 there at the Land and the book.org. How does a 0:11:10.510 --> 0:11:14.920 girl born into a militantly Muslim nation like Iran find 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:18.250 Christ as Savior? How is she received by her family, 0:11:18.250 --> 0:11:21.610 her culture? What is that journey like? You're about to 0:11:21.610 --> 0:11:24.520 find out. Welcome back to the land and the book. 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:26.949 I'm John Gauger, and before we embark on what I 0:11:26.950 --> 0:11:30.370 promise is a truly epic story, let's pause for just 0:11:30.370 --> 0:11:32.410 a moment and let's give some thought to how we 0:11:32.410 --> 0:11:35.620 can share Jesus creatively with a muslim friend that we 0:11:35.620 --> 0:11:39.220 might know at work or in our neighborhood. Well, the 0:11:39.220 --> 0:11:42.010 moment has finally come. You have. You have developed this 0:11:42.010 --> 0:11:44.980 friendship with your Muslim friend and you're having them over 0:11:44.980 --> 0:11:48.520 for dinner. What do you serve or not serve? With 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:52.569 a question about menus, here's Stefano Ferrer with call of Hope. Us. 0:11:52.570 --> 0:11:56.710 Well, I would always serve what I like. You know, 0:11:56.710 --> 0:12:00.580 I would serve them what I really think is a 0:12:00.580 --> 0:12:04.449 very good dinner. But I would not go for pork schnitzel, 0:12:04.450 --> 0:12:07.900 that's for sure. You know, I mean, just don't do that. 0:12:07.900 --> 0:12:12.160 Just avoid pork. Uh, just avoid things. You know, they 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:13.570 don't eat anything. 0:12:13.570 --> 0:12:15.910 Other than pork. That's in a major. No, no. 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:21.939 Well, everything, you know, liver, uh, all these things, even 0:12:21.940 --> 0:12:24.190 if it is beef or so. I would never go 0:12:24.190 --> 0:12:26.950 for that. Okay, uh, try it with fish. Try it 0:12:26.950 --> 0:12:29.709 with chicken. Then they also know it's not pork. 0:12:30.220 --> 0:12:32.559 All right, so maybe chicken and fish are the safest. 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:33.579 Absolutely. 0:12:33.580 --> 0:12:36.040 Okay, that's what's on the menu for your dinner with 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:39.310 that Muslim friend. Call of hopes. Stefano Fair joins us 0:12:39.309 --> 0:12:42.010 here on the land and the book. Always very practical. 0:12:42.010 --> 0:12:48.280 Thank you. Marzia ambassador is an Iranian American whose testimony 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:50.949 you need to hear. She's an author, public speaker, an 0:12:50.950 --> 0:12:54.220 activist for religious freedom. For more than a decade, she's 0:12:54.220 --> 0:12:56.890 traveled throughout the country and around the world to bring 0:12:56.890 --> 0:13:01.060 awareness about the ongoing human rights violations and persecution of 0:13:01.059 --> 0:13:04.720 women and religious minorities in Iran. For some time now, 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:07.599 we've been looking forward to this conversation based on her book, 0:13:07.630 --> 0:13:10.780 A Love Journey with God. And that said, we want 0:13:10.780 --> 0:13:13.449 to welcome you to the land and the book. Marzia. 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:17.680 Thank you so much for having me on your program. 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:20.140 It's an honor for me to share my story with 0:13:20.140 --> 0:13:25.480 your audience. Um, but about my story, how I found 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:30.250 Jesus in in a very close country, the, um, ruling 0:13:30.250 --> 0:13:35.770 by terrorists. Yeah. It started from my childhood that I 0:13:35.770 --> 0:13:39.400 was seeking the Lord, and I wanted to know the truth. 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:43.120 Because in a country like Iran that they only teach 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:47.380 about Islamic rules at schools, and we don't have access 0:13:47.380 --> 0:13:51.550 to any other religious book, and they are teaching us 0:13:51.550 --> 0:13:55.540 to follow the Islamic rules, brainwashed children from a very 0:13:55.540 --> 0:13:56.559 young age. 0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:59.620 Now I'm confused because the home you grew up in, 0:13:59.620 --> 0:14:02.890 you say was not a strict Muslim family. And I 0:14:02.890 --> 0:14:05.500 guess I figured that pretty much everybody in Iran was 0:14:05.500 --> 0:14:09.130 a very devoted Muslim. Help me with that misconception. I've 0:14:09.130 --> 0:14:09.910 got Marzia. 0:14:10.540 --> 0:14:14.500 No, that's not the truth. Um, a majority of Iranians 0:14:14.500 --> 0:14:19.540 are not radical Muslims. They don't believe in Islamic rules. Um, 0:14:19.540 --> 0:14:23.770 you may find Quran in their homes, but, um, none 0:14:23.770 --> 0:14:26.800 of them even read those books. And it's just it 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:31.479 starts with brainwashing people with Islamic rules. And I make 0:14:31.480 --> 0:14:35.470 a very strict rules that, for example, if you ask 0:14:35.470 --> 0:14:39.490 millions of Iranians, they never read Quran because they make 0:14:39.490 --> 0:14:43.060 very strict rules in Islam that this book is holy 0:14:43.060 --> 0:14:47.860 and it's written in Arabic, which is not our language, Farsi. 0:14:47.860 --> 0:14:51.190 So in most of homes you see that book on 0:14:51.190 --> 0:14:55.180 the shelves and they don't know what is inside the book. 0:14:55.180 --> 0:14:58.840 And because of those strict rules that they create, they 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:03.220 create fear in people not to disobey the Islamic rules. 0:15:03.220 --> 0:15:06.610 But most of the families like my family, they are 0:15:06.610 --> 0:15:09.700 not devout Muslim. They never practice Islam. 0:15:10.630 --> 0:15:13.120 All right. Talk about your siblings and your life at 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.280 home as a young girl. What was that like? 0:15:15.310 --> 0:15:19.150 My brothers were brainwashed at school by the Islamic rules, 0:15:19.150 --> 0:15:23.710 even though we were not practicing Islam at home. But unfortunately, 0:15:23.710 --> 0:15:27.790 they were brainwashed, um, that, you know, men always should 0:15:27.790 --> 0:15:32.229 control women and they are male dominated because they could see, 0:15:32.230 --> 0:15:36.040 you know, their friends around themselves, how they treat their sisters, 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:40.150 their other women, and it affected them as well. That's 0:15:40.150 --> 0:15:43.690 why there was a big jealousy at home against me 0:15:43.690 --> 0:15:47.140 because of my father loved me so much from my childhood, 0:15:47.290 --> 0:15:51.700 and that created jealousy in them against me. And they 0:15:51.700 --> 0:15:54.940 mocked me. They bullied me most of the time. 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:58.690 Yeah. Now, this is interesting because eventually you discovered that 0:15:58.690 --> 0:16:01.390 your mother was having an affair. Now, how did that 0:16:01.390 --> 0:16:02.620 impact your world? 0:16:03.100 --> 0:16:07.930 Yes, unfortunately, that's a long story. But my father, you know, 0:16:07.930 --> 0:16:12.460 went through lots of difficulties in regarding his job. And 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:16.960 many other things happened that my mom, I discovered that 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:20.470 she had affair, which ended up to. They got divorced 0:16:20.470 --> 0:16:24.010 when I was about 18, 19 years old. 0:16:24.190 --> 0:16:26.140 Today, on the land of the book, we're talking with 0:16:26.140 --> 0:16:29.590 Marzia Amir Azad on the issue of how she came 0:16:29.590 --> 0:16:32.740 to faith meeting Jesus in Iran. As a young woman, 0:16:32.740 --> 0:16:36.130 you started dating a guy named Ali, but the police 0:16:36.130 --> 0:16:39.400 accused him of having a sexual relationship with you. Explain 0:16:39.400 --> 0:16:40.690 what happened to him. 0:16:41.380 --> 0:16:45.160 Actually, we were engaged and he was studying in another 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:48.460 city at the university. Uh, he was in love with 0:16:48.460 --> 0:16:53.260 me and we loved each other. And they arrested him 0:16:53.260 --> 0:16:55.870 with other students he was studying in one of the 0:16:55.870 --> 0:17:00.520 most religious cities in Iran is the center of ayatollahs. 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:05.590 And they hate students. They hate everyone who is intelligent. 0:17:05.590 --> 0:17:10.120 And he got arrested and they charged him with assumption 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:14.650 of he drank wine. And also, you know, at the 0:17:14.650 --> 0:17:17.109 same day that he got arrested, we were on the 0:17:17.109 --> 0:17:21.580 phone and they forced him to arrange for me to 0:17:21.580 --> 0:17:24.340 come to arrest me. And he was just keep saying 0:17:24.340 --> 0:17:27.520 that she was my fiance, but they didn't believe him. 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.550 And they were thinking that we are boyfriends and girlfriends, 0:17:30.550 --> 0:17:34.180 and they wanted him to arrange for me to be 0:17:34.180 --> 0:17:38.080 arrested as well. And for a month he was disappeared. 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:42.700 And later we realized that he was tortured brutally and. 0:17:42.990 --> 0:17:47.670 Charge him with lies and they gave him 80 lashes, 0:17:47.670 --> 0:17:51.330 which was horrible and shocking to me to see his back. 0:17:51.330 --> 0:17:56.130 When he returned to the city I was living. And yeah, 0:17:56.130 --> 0:18:00.119 I was witness to the brutality of this regime in 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.610 many areas in my life. 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:06.090 So people would ask, how in the world in that context, 0:18:06.090 --> 0:18:09.750 you've got a fiancée who was beaten half to death, 0:18:09.750 --> 0:18:14.700 you've got a home where you are facing friction, a 0:18:14.700 --> 0:18:18.000 mother who has an affair, a father who's a wreck. 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:21.270 How did you come to faith in Jesus Christ in Iran? 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:25.470 Praise God! God gave me some kind of discernment from 0:18:25.470 --> 0:18:28.500 my childhood that I could not believe what they were 0:18:28.500 --> 0:18:32.609 teaching us at schools regarding, you know, God. And I 0:18:32.609 --> 0:18:37.590 was so curious and keep asking questions, especially at my 0:18:37.590 --> 0:18:41.700 theology classes, because in Islam they teach us that we 0:18:41.700 --> 0:18:44.850 have to pray namaz five times a day and just 0:18:44.850 --> 0:18:48.330 keep repeating Arabic words. And I had lots of questions 0:18:48.330 --> 0:18:51.750 why I have to speak to my God in Arabic 0:18:51.750 --> 0:18:54.690 instead of my native language, Farsi, if I talk to 0:18:54.690 --> 0:18:59.220 him in Farsi, the God who created this word is 0:18:59.220 --> 0:19:02.790 not able to understand me. Why should I bend in 0:19:02.790 --> 0:19:06.480 front of him? Why should I cover myself whenever I 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:10.320 wanted to talk to him? Why at specific times I'm 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:13.320 allowed to talk to him? As a child, I could 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:16.859 understand that there are lies in Islam and I couldn't 0:19:16.859 --> 0:19:20.760 accept it. But my questions made them mad at me 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.820 by asking these questions, and they told me if I 0:19:23.820 --> 0:19:27.090 want God to be satisfied with me, I need to 0:19:27.090 --> 0:19:30.750 follow the Islamic rules. That's why I couldn't accept that 0:19:30.750 --> 0:19:34.440 definition of God in Islam, which is all about punishment, 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:37.680 not about love. And then I got curious and I 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:41.940 started reading Quran and praying namaz. It was just for 0:19:41.940 --> 0:19:46.200 finding the truth. But after a while I got exhausted 0:19:46.200 --> 0:19:49.679 and I got frustrated because they couldn't see any truth 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:53.639 in this. And it was just keep repeating religious Islamic 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:57.540 religious rules. And it started with a dream that I 0:19:57.540 --> 0:20:00.570 shared in my book that God, for the first time, 0:20:00.570 --> 0:20:05.190 revealed his love and the true face of Islam to me. 0:20:05.190 --> 0:20:08.580 And in that dream, it was about a white horse 0:20:08.580 --> 0:20:10.320 at the age of 17. 0:20:10.530 --> 0:20:11.190 Wait wait wait wait. 0:20:11.190 --> 0:20:15.090 You're you're 17 years old and you're having a dream 0:20:15.090 --> 0:20:16.770 about a white horse. 0:20:16.980 --> 0:20:17.880 Yes. 0:20:18.060 --> 0:20:21.870 Okay. This is unusual for Americans, but many have been 0:20:21.869 --> 0:20:25.200 made aware that in Islamic countries, God does use dreams 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:27.450 and visions. Yours was of a white horse. Go on, 0:20:27.450 --> 0:20:28.410 I've interrupted you. 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:31.440 Yes I had. It wasn't just that dream. I had 0:20:31.440 --> 0:20:34.560 many dreams. And there are other Muslim people who came 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:38.760 to Christ through dreams and visions. And I always tell people, 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:42.090 some Americans here asked me why we don't have that 0:20:42.090 --> 0:20:45.149 kind of dreams and visions. And I tell them, hey, 0:20:45.570 --> 0:20:48.840 just look, in a country like Iran, you can't find 0:20:48.840 --> 0:20:53.250 Bibles in any bookstores. There is no churches. So no 0:20:53.250 --> 0:20:57.300 one can stop God from approaching people. And in such 0:20:57.300 --> 0:21:00.780 a conflict, God revealed the truth to those who are 0:21:00.780 --> 0:21:04.380 thirsty through their visions and dreams. But in America, we 0:21:04.380 --> 0:21:08.639 have lots of churches. You can find Bibles anywhere. Yes. 0:21:08.640 --> 0:21:12.270 So that makes sense to me. Why God approach people 0:21:12.270 --> 0:21:15.449 through dreams and visions in countries like Iran. 0:21:15.660 --> 0:21:18.720 But Marzia, there's a big gap, though, between a white 0:21:18.720 --> 0:21:23.910 horse and knowing Jesus as the Savior, receiving him, acknowledging 0:21:23.910 --> 0:21:25.889 you're a sinner, believing he died on the cross for 0:21:25.890 --> 0:21:28.530 your sins. How did you get to that point? What 0:21:28.530 --> 0:21:29.550 was that moment like? 0:21:29.550 --> 0:21:32.700 Yeah, it was a journey to me because after that, 0:21:32.700 --> 0:21:35.369 a few years, it was after that that one of 0:21:35.369 --> 0:21:39.270 my friends who has converted to Christianity, and I didn't 0:21:39.270 --> 0:21:42.419 know that she shared her faith with me. She shared 0:21:42.420 --> 0:21:46.380 about Jesus that he died on the cross for our sin. 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:49.709 And imagine, I got very curious because it was the 0:21:49.710 --> 0:21:53.100 first time I could hear that Jesus is the Son 0:21:53.100 --> 0:21:57.000 of God. Because I believed at school, they taught us 0:21:57.000 --> 0:22:01.109 that Jesus is only a prophet. And that's why I 0:22:01.109 --> 0:22:04.590 got curious. And I got Bible, and I started reading 0:22:04.590 --> 0:22:09.750 and reading and learning about Christianity, learning about Jesus, which 0:22:09.750 --> 0:22:12.960 opened my eyes to many truths. But still, you know, 0:22:12.960 --> 0:22:16.380 I had doubts. I wasn't sure if Jesus is the 0:22:16.380 --> 0:22:20.220 truth or not. That's why I started praying. And I 0:22:20.220 --> 0:22:23.909 ask God, please reveal to me if Jesus is the truth. 0:22:23.910 --> 0:22:27.090 You must show me. You must prove it to me 0:22:27.090 --> 0:22:30.090 because I don't want to be misguided in this world 0:22:30.090 --> 0:22:33.840 that we have lots of religions, lots of faith. And 0:22:33.840 --> 0:22:39.750 then after that simple prayer, other miracles started happening. I 0:22:39.750 --> 0:22:43.070 had other visions, other dreams that I. Is shared in 0:22:43.070 --> 0:22:46.520 my book. A Love Journey with God. At that time 0:22:46.520 --> 0:22:50.720 that I heard about Jesus, there was just one assembly 0:22:50.720 --> 0:22:55.310 of God church, but that Muslim people, people from Muslim 0:22:55.310 --> 0:22:58.940 background could attend in that church because it was during 0:22:58.940 --> 0:23:04.070 moderate presidents. But honestly, they just wanted to show they 0:23:04.220 --> 0:23:07.820 give more freedoms to people, which was a lie. They 0:23:07.820 --> 0:23:11.480 had their intelligence office right in front of the church 0:23:11.480 --> 0:23:15.680 and they forced pastors. Later, I understood they forced pastors 0:23:15.680 --> 0:23:18.530 to give the names of the Muslims who were coming 0:23:18.560 --> 0:23:22.400 to their church because it was the first church, Armenian church, 0:23:22.400 --> 0:23:26.179 that the pastors would speak in Farsi, they forbid. And 0:23:26.180 --> 0:23:29.780 for Armenians and Assyrians who born as a Christians to 0:23:29.780 --> 0:23:33.620 preach in Farsi. But that church decided to preach in Farsi. 0:23:33.650 --> 0:23:37.909 That's why that attracted more Muslims to come to that church. 0:23:37.910 --> 0:23:40.940 But the government forced them to give the names that 0:23:40.940 --> 0:23:43.820 are coming. So we could not go to that church 0:23:43.820 --> 0:23:46.909 every weekend, maybe, you know, every couple of months you 0:23:46.910 --> 0:23:50.929 could attend that church. But my first experience attending in 0:23:50.930 --> 0:23:54.590 that church was amazing, because I could see that people 0:23:54.590 --> 0:23:58.310 were worshiping God in their own language, Farsi instead of, 0:23:58.310 --> 0:24:02.330 you know, keep repeating nonsense Arabic words. And it was 0:24:02.330 --> 0:24:05.689 in that church that I had the experience of healing. 0:24:05.690 --> 0:24:08.720 And as I mentioned, I could not go to that church. 0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:12.020 And after a few years, they even closed that church. 0:24:12.020 --> 0:24:14.659 And there is no building church in Iran that people 0:24:14.660 --> 0:24:19.040 can attend. There are only underground home churches. 0:24:19.040 --> 0:24:21.380 So let me take you to the actual moment when 0:24:21.380 --> 0:24:25.400 you receive Jesus. You've had a series of dreams. You've 0:24:25.400 --> 0:24:29.540 been to a church. At what point did you finally say, 0:24:29.540 --> 0:24:32.960 I now know Jesus as Savior? What was that moment 0:24:32.960 --> 0:24:33.619 for you? 0:24:34.040 --> 0:24:39.919 Honestly, after receiving all those dreams and visions, after experiencing 0:24:39.920 --> 0:24:44.990 healing by Jesus, all those things, I started believing in 0:24:44.990 --> 0:24:48.260 Jesus that Jesus is the truth. But still, you know, 0:24:48.260 --> 0:24:52.429 by reading Bible I had many questions and about the 0:24:52.430 --> 0:24:55.790 Holy Spirit I could not understand it. And that's why 0:24:55.790 --> 0:24:58.729 I asked God to show me the whole truth. And 0:24:58.730 --> 0:25:01.640 I told him, I don't want to have any doubts 0:25:01.640 --> 0:25:06.050 about Jesus. And I remember the day that really changed 0:25:06.050 --> 0:25:09.680 my life forever was the day that I was alone 0:25:09.680 --> 0:25:12.860 at my home, and I was just praying to God. 0:25:12.859 --> 0:25:16.910 And suddenly the power of God was so strong on 0:25:16.910 --> 0:25:20.420 me and I couldn't stop it. And it was early 0:25:20.420 --> 0:25:24.440 in the morning, after hours of worshiping him and seeing him, 0:25:24.440 --> 0:25:28.760 that my mouth stopped worshiping. And after that I repented 0:25:28.940 --> 0:25:31.850 because of my doubts. And I told him that you 0:25:31.850 --> 0:25:34.970 are my Savior, and I promised to follow him for 0:25:34.970 --> 0:25:36.379 the rest of my life. 0:25:36.470 --> 0:25:39.980 And that has taken you on a remarkable journey. We're 0:25:39.980 --> 0:25:43.010 going to get into that and more. In another conversation 0:25:43.010 --> 0:25:46.490 with Marzia Ameerah Zaidi here on the land and the book. 0:25:46.490 --> 0:25:48.619 Thank you for your time. We're looking forward to part 0:25:48.619 --> 0:25:52.520 two in a future broadcast. Questions and answers from the Bible. Yep, 0:25:52.520 --> 0:25:55.670 that's all coming up next on the land and the book. 0:26:06.930 --> 0:26:09.390 We've got an appointment, you and I, an appointment with 0:26:09.390 --> 0:26:11.940 our host, Charlie Dyer, who's going to answer the questions 0:26:11.940 --> 0:26:14.430 that many of us are wondering about. I say many, 0:26:14.430 --> 0:26:17.460 because when somebody emails a question to us, there are 0:26:17.460 --> 0:26:20.100 4 or 5 or maybe 4 or 500 who wondered 0:26:20.100 --> 0:26:22.169 the same thing. At least that's how it goes for 0:26:22.170 --> 0:26:25.230 me when I hear these questions. Charlie, your Bible is open. 0:26:25.230 --> 0:26:27.359 I see that smile on your face. You look pumped 0:26:27.359 --> 0:26:28.200 and ready to go. 0:26:28.320 --> 0:26:30.149 I'm ready. John, I love questions. 0:26:30.150 --> 0:26:32.879 Let's start with Andres, he says. Could you give us 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:36.180 a couple suggestions for a Bible atlas? Our family doesn't 0:26:36.180 --> 0:26:39.450 have one and you probably have a few suggestions in mind. 0:26:39.450 --> 0:26:41.730 Yeah, I actually have three. I can suggest that they're 0:26:41.730 --> 0:26:44.639 actually all on my shelf just above my desk, within 0:26:44.640 --> 0:26:48.750 easy reach. The first is the Moody Bible Atlas by 0:26:48.750 --> 0:26:53.250 Barry Biswal by Teasdale. Now I understand the new editions 0:26:53.250 --> 0:26:55.830 being developed, but the current edition, which is the one 0:26:55.830 --> 0:26:59.670 I use, is very helpful. The second recommendation is called 0:26:59.670 --> 0:27:02.790 the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible. There was an earlier 0:27:02.790 --> 0:27:05.820 edition called the NIV Atlas of the Bible, and either 0:27:05.820 --> 0:27:09.090 one of those is good. There they were by Carl Rasmussen. 0:27:09.330 --> 0:27:12.480 It's very helpful. Now, the third atlas is more compact 0:27:12.480 --> 0:27:16.050 and it's far less expensive. It's by Karl Laney and 0:27:16.050 --> 0:27:19.680 it's called the Concise Bible Atlas. It's a paperback edition 0:27:19.680 --> 0:27:21.960 and I find it very helpful, but you can find 0:27:21.960 --> 0:27:24.630 information on all three on Amazon. 0:27:24.960 --> 0:27:27.990 All right. Here's a question from Dorothy in Revelation chapter two. 0:27:28.020 --> 0:27:31.290 The phrase return to your first love always makes me 0:27:31.290 --> 0:27:34.379 wonder whether or not I love Jesus enough. Maybe it's 0:27:34.380 --> 0:27:36.450 because it's so difficult to measure love. So what would 0:27:36.450 --> 0:27:39.060 you say is a good understanding of this phrase? What 0:27:39.060 --> 0:27:42.180 does Jesus really want from his church and from me? 0:27:42.359 --> 0:27:42.929 I think the. 0:27:42.930 --> 0:27:45.720 Key there is understanding what's been happening historically in that 0:27:45.720 --> 0:27:48.510 church in Ephesus. You know, in acts 21, Paul met 0:27:48.510 --> 0:27:50.699 with the elders of that church, and he told them 0:27:50.700 --> 0:27:53.940 it was an impending time of doctrinal error coming. In fact, 0:27:53.940 --> 0:27:56.010 he said, people are going to come and distort truth 0:27:56.010 --> 0:27:58.619 in order to draw away disciples after them. So be 0:27:58.619 --> 0:28:02.340 on your guard. Well, later, Paul left Timothy in Ephesus 0:28:02.340 --> 0:28:04.680 to deal with some of those very issues. In fact, 0:28:04.680 --> 0:28:07.530 he says in first Timothy one three, as I urged 0:28:07.530 --> 0:28:09.780 you when I went to Macedonia, stay in Ephesus, that 0:28:09.780 --> 0:28:12.960 you may command certain men not to teach false doctrine 0:28:12.960 --> 0:28:16.080 any longer. Well, apparently Timothy was able to get the 0:28:16.080 --> 0:28:19.470 church turned around doctrinally. And that's why in revelation two, 0:28:19.500 --> 0:28:23.010 the commendation of the church is that they have worked hard, 0:28:23.010 --> 0:28:26.370 they've persevered, they've been unwilling to tolerate false teachers. Now 0:28:26.369 --> 0:28:29.340 all that's important and understanding what Jesus was then saying 0:28:29.340 --> 0:28:31.830 and what he said next. The church had become so 0:28:31.830 --> 0:28:35.640 focused on being right theologically that they'd stopped focusing on 0:28:35.640 --> 0:28:38.460 why they were to be right. They were doctrinally sound, 0:28:38.460 --> 0:28:41.670 but they had abandoned the love relationship with Jesus that 0:28:41.670 --> 0:28:44.280 had prompted them to want to know him better and 0:28:44.280 --> 0:28:46.469 to please him in the first place. So we all 0:28:46.470 --> 0:28:48.810 need to work on loving Jesus more. But the problem 0:28:48.810 --> 0:28:51.660 in Ephesus is they were so focused on being right 0:28:51.660 --> 0:28:55.380 that it had become more important than their relationship with Jesus. 0:28:55.380 --> 0:28:57.630 And it goes back to the two great command stressed 0:28:57.630 --> 0:29:00.300 by Jesus. Love the Lord your God. Love your neighbor 0:29:00.300 --> 0:29:03.600 as yourself. Jesus wanted the church in Ephesus to remain 0:29:03.600 --> 0:29:07.350 doctrinally sound, but also to focus on the love for him. 0:29:07.350 --> 0:29:09.420 That prompted them to be faithful. 0:29:09.570 --> 0:29:11.670 Here's a follow up then. What are some practical ways 0:29:11.670 --> 0:29:14.400 to grow in real love toward Jesus? How can we 0:29:14.400 --> 0:29:17.550 understand and experience his love for us even more? 0:29:17.700 --> 0:29:19.200 Well, you know, I answer this kind of in a 0:29:19.200 --> 0:29:21.990 practical sense. How do you fall in love with someone 0:29:22.080 --> 0:29:24.660 here on earth, another human being, you know, a family member, 0:29:24.660 --> 0:29:27.570 a friend, or even that special someone that we want 0:29:27.570 --> 0:29:29.880 to spend our lives with? What is it that helps 0:29:29.880 --> 0:29:31.800 us find a deep love in our heart for them? Well, 0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:34.920 we spend time together. We talk and listen to each other. 0:29:34.920 --> 0:29:38.310 We send texts or emails, or the old romantics might 0:29:38.310 --> 0:29:40.680 even write letters to each other. But as we share 0:29:40.680 --> 0:29:43.530 our lives together, the good times and the struggles, we 0:29:43.530 --> 0:29:46.470 find ourselves caring and loving for that person even more deeply. 0:29:46.470 --> 0:29:49.080 And I think that's what happens when it comes to Jesus. 0:29:49.080 --> 0:29:50.940 You know, he's written to us in the Bible. That's 0:29:50.940 --> 0:29:53.910 his his love letters to us, if you will, and 0:29:53.910 --> 0:29:56.490 what pleases him is for us to read what he's 0:29:56.490 --> 0:29:59.010 written to us. He also wants to hear from us. 0:29:59.010 --> 0:30:00.930 We can talk to him, and we do that in prayer. 0:30:00.930 --> 0:30:03.000 We can share our desires and our fears and our 0:30:03.000 --> 0:30:06.090 hopes and our dreams, and we can spend time with 0:30:06.090 --> 0:30:08.790 others in his family at church. You know, he said, 0:30:08.790 --> 0:30:10.950 where 2 or 3 are gathered, he's there in their midst. 0:30:10.950 --> 0:30:13.740 And finally, even in the midst of the struggles of life, 0:30:13.740 --> 0:30:16.410 he uses them to help draw us closer to him 0:30:16.410 --> 0:30:20.190 as we discover the truth of promises like Isaiah 43, 0:30:20.190 --> 0:30:22.470 when you pass through the waters, I'll be with you. 0:30:22.470 --> 0:30:24.540 And when you pass through the rivers, they will not 0:30:24.540 --> 0:30:27.600 sweep over you. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. 0:30:27.780 --> 0:30:30.570 A relationship like that takes time to develop, but the 0:30:30.570 --> 0:30:33.510 more time we spend reading the Bible, praying, joining with 0:30:33.510 --> 0:30:36.300 others in worship, and then watching Jesus work in our 0:30:36.300 --> 0:30:38.670 life day by day, I think the more that happens, 0:30:38.670 --> 0:30:40.230 the more we fall in love with him. 0:30:40.230 --> 0:30:43.590 Sharon takes us to job chapter one, where it seems 0:30:43.590 --> 0:30:46.530 as if God cares what Satan and the demons think 0:30:46.530 --> 0:30:49.560 about God. She asks, why does God care about what 0:30:49.560 --> 0:30:52.620 Satan thinks of him? Also in job two verse three, 0:30:52.620 --> 0:30:56.520 God says Satan incited him against job. She says, I 0:30:56.520 --> 0:31:00.540 looked up the Hebrew definition and it reads to stimulate, entice, move, provoke. 0:31:00.540 --> 0:31:03.270 I'm lost. As to what this means. It sounds like 0:31:03.270 --> 0:31:06.450 Satan is moving God in a certain direction. Your thoughts? 0:31:06.970 --> 0:31:09.520 Yeah. I don't believe in the book that it's saying 0:31:09.520 --> 0:31:12.220 God cares what Satan or the demons think about him, 0:31:12.220 --> 0:31:15.160 as if his he's looking at his own reputation in 0:31:15.160 --> 0:31:18.100 chapter two verse three where God says, you incited me 0:31:18.100 --> 0:31:21.370 against him. I think the idea is provoked or instigated, 0:31:21.370 --> 0:31:24.160 and it's probably the better English word there. I think 0:31:24.160 --> 0:31:26.920 Satan was trying to push God into doing something that 0:31:26.920 --> 0:31:30.430 Satan was convinced would prove God to be wrong. And 0:31:30.430 --> 0:31:32.890 though it wasn't God who brought the calamity on job, 0:31:32.890 --> 0:31:36.070 it was Satan. Yet God permitted Jobe to be harmed 0:31:36.070 --> 0:31:40.630 financially and emotionally and physically. To demonstrate to Satan that 0:31:40.630 --> 0:31:43.960 Jobe worshiped God because of who God was, not because 0:31:43.960 --> 0:31:46.900 of what God gave to Jobe. Satan was trying to 0:31:46.900 --> 0:31:49.450 move God in a certain direction. I think like a 0:31:49.450 --> 0:31:52.330 chess master, he was trying to get God in checkmate 0:31:52.330 --> 0:31:55.870 by having Jobe finally turn and curse God and Job's 0:31:55.870 --> 0:31:58.690 answer to his friends. You know, in 1315, I think 0:31:58.690 --> 0:32:01.450 that had to be a sour note with Satan. Jobe, 0:32:01.450 --> 0:32:04.480 who thought God was punishing him, says, though he slay me, 0:32:04.480 --> 0:32:07.720 I will hope in him even though he was convinced 0:32:07.720 --> 0:32:10.750 God was punishing him. In a case of mistaken identity, 0:32:10.750 --> 0:32:14.020 Jobe still refused to turn against God. And I think 0:32:14.020 --> 0:32:17.290 really the key is, is God worthy of being worshiped 0:32:17.290 --> 0:32:19.990 apart from what happens in our life. And God shows 0:32:19.990 --> 0:32:22.150 that Jobe indeed worshiped him in that sense. 0:32:22.150 --> 0:32:25.150 From the Old Testament to the new. Todd asks, what 0:32:25.150 --> 0:32:27.820 does it mean to pray in the spirit? In Ephesians 0:32:27.820 --> 0:32:29.260 six verse 18. 0:32:29.380 --> 0:32:32.110 Well, you know, the larger context there is wearing God's 0:32:32.110 --> 0:32:35.170 armor as we engage in spiritual battle with Satan, and 0:32:35.170 --> 0:32:37.180 the goal is to be able to stand against Satan's 0:32:37.180 --> 0:32:40.780 spiritual onslaught. I see the sword of the spirit and 0:32:40.780 --> 0:32:44.170 praying in the spirit in that section. Being parallel. The 0:32:44.170 --> 0:32:47.350 Bible and prayer are the two offensive weapons we have 0:32:47.350 --> 0:32:50.740 against Satan, and both carry the full authority and power 0:32:50.740 --> 0:32:53.440 of God's Spirit. Now, that doesn't fully explain what it 0:32:53.440 --> 0:32:55.630 means to pray in the spirit. I think some other 0:32:55.630 --> 0:32:59.290 passages can help. One is Jude 20, where Jude calls 0:32:59.290 --> 0:33:01.630 on his readers to pray in the Holy Spirit, and 0:33:01.630 --> 0:33:03.580 I don't think he's calling on him to speak in tongues, 0:33:03.580 --> 0:33:06.220 which is what some might suggest. I think he's telling 0:33:06.220 --> 0:33:09.460 them to pray from a heart indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 0:33:09.460 --> 0:33:11.980 The Holy Spirit prompts us to pray and then prays 0:33:11.980 --> 0:33:14.500 along with us. And that leads to the second passage, 0:33:14.500 --> 0:33:18.190 which is Romans 826 and 27, which talks about the 0:33:18.190 --> 0:33:21.250 Holy Spirit praying along with us and interceding with God 0:33:21.250 --> 0:33:24.220 on our behalf. So I think the idea is that 0:33:24.220 --> 0:33:27.550 praying in the Holy Spirit is praying under the Holy 0:33:27.550 --> 0:33:30.460 Spirit's control and guidance as he prompts us to pray. 0:33:30.460 --> 0:33:33.580 And then, realizing the Holy Spirit prays along with us 0:33:33.580 --> 0:33:37.000 to guarantee that what we're asking is being presented before 0:33:37.000 --> 0:33:39.400 God the Father in a way that will make it effective. 0:33:39.400 --> 0:33:42.370 It's praying in his power and under his guidance. 0:33:42.490 --> 0:33:44.860 We've got a couple of more questions about Joe from 0:33:44.860 --> 0:33:47.170 another listener. We'll see what we can get in to 0:33:47.170 --> 0:33:50.920 today's segment, Jobe 610 says. But it is still my consolation, 0:33:50.920 --> 0:33:54.340 and I rejoice in unsparing pain that I have not 0:33:54.340 --> 0:33:57.100 denied the words of the Holy One to what does 0:33:57.100 --> 0:33:59.350 it refer at the beginning of the verse as it 0:33:59.350 --> 0:34:01.990 is grief and calamity from verse two? Or could it 0:34:01.990 --> 0:34:04.360 refer to job's desire that God would crush him in 0:34:04.360 --> 0:34:05.260 verse nine? 0:34:05.260 --> 0:34:07.510 Yeah, I think that it. And it's in a new 0:34:07.510 --> 0:34:10.750 American Standard version of job 610 actually refers to the 0:34:10.750 --> 0:34:14.560 last phrase of the verse. That is, his consolation through 0:34:14.560 --> 0:34:17.290 all the struggle is that he had not denied the 0:34:17.290 --> 0:34:20.320 words of the Holy One. Jobe had an abandoned or 0:34:20.320 --> 0:34:24.219 rejected God's word or commands concerning what's right and wrong. 0:34:24.219 --> 0:34:27.250 It's another way for Jobe to declare his innocence. In 0:34:27.250 --> 0:34:30.280 verses eight and nine, Jobe wish that God would take 0:34:30.280 --> 0:34:32.980 his life and end his suffering. The difficulty I see 0:34:32.980 --> 0:34:34.990 in verse ten is that word. But at the very 0:34:34.989 --> 0:34:38.830 beginning it's actually a Hebrew letter, vav, which is normally translated. 0:34:38.830 --> 0:34:42.610 And however it's a simple conjunction can be translated several 0:34:42.610 --> 0:34:44.980 different ways. And in this case, I think the NIV 0:34:44.980 --> 0:34:47.740 might actually provide a better understanding of the way the 0:34:47.770 --> 0:34:51.279 that Vav should be translated. They translate it as then. 0:34:51.280 --> 0:34:54.670 Then I would still have this consolation, my joy and 0:34:54.670 --> 0:34:57.700 unrelenting pain that I had not denied the words of 0:34:57.700 --> 0:35:00.820 the Holy One. They translate that word. There is then, 0:35:00.820 --> 0:35:03.370 and then they bracket the second line to show it's 0:35:03.370 --> 0:35:06.399 expressing essentially the same thought as the first. They then 0:35:06.400 --> 0:35:09.430 have the third line finish the thought. So job's consolation 0:35:09.430 --> 0:35:12.790 job's joy was knowing that he had died without denying 0:35:12.790 --> 0:35:14.650 or turning against God's word. 0:35:14.830 --> 0:35:18.040 All right, one last job question how or why was 0:35:18.040 --> 0:35:20.740 job so special and so close to God? Does the 0:35:20.739 --> 0:35:23.890 book of Job ever mentioned the Holy Spirit coming on job? 0:35:23.890 --> 0:35:26.500 Yeah. We don't know what made job so special. You know, 0:35:26.500 --> 0:35:28.690 it's possible he was indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but 0:35:28.690 --> 0:35:31.510 there's nothing in the book that suggests that's the case. 0:35:31.510 --> 0:35:33.669 And prior to the start of the Church Age, the 0:35:33.670 --> 0:35:36.730 indwelling of the Holy Spirit was temporary, is usually given 0:35:36.730 --> 0:35:40.089 by God to accomplish specific tasks, like the wisdom to 0:35:40.090 --> 0:35:43.629 reign as king. If job was just a, quote, normal believer, 0:35:43.630 --> 0:35:46.989 then his faith is all the more remarkable. The description 0:35:46.989 --> 0:35:48.490 of him in one one is a man who was 0:35:48.489 --> 0:35:52.299 blameless and upright, who feared God, who turned away from evil. 0:35:52.300 --> 0:35:55.330 And that's absolutely amazing. You know, we would all like 0:35:55.330 --> 0:35:57.580 that to be a description of our own lives, and 0:35:57.580 --> 0:36:00.460 we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I believe it's 0:36:00.460 --> 0:36:02.860 simply telling us that Jobe was one of the most 0:36:02.860 --> 0:36:06.130 remarkable and godly men who has ever lived. 0:36:06.469 --> 0:36:08.390 You've got a question. I bet as you peruse the 0:36:08.390 --> 0:36:10.760 pages of Scripture in your own personal Bible study, what 0:36:10.760 --> 0:36:13.760 do you do with that question? Our recommendation? Email it 0:36:13.760 --> 0:36:16.910 to Charlie. Here's how you connect the land and the 0:36:16.910 --> 0:36:24.950 book@moody.edu the land and the book@moody.edu. One last question for you. 0:36:24.950 --> 0:36:27.380 As you listen, are you taking advantage of our podcast? 0:36:27.380 --> 0:36:30.410 It's available at our website, the land and the book. 0:36:30.680 --> 0:36:32.990 Org and it's a great way to share this ministry 0:36:32.989 --> 0:36:35.480 with a friend who doesn't live anywhere near a radio 0:36:35.480 --> 0:36:38.240 station that carries the program. So check out the podcast 0:36:38.239 --> 0:36:42.230 at our website. It's the land and the book, dawg. 0:36:42.380 --> 0:36:58.859 Charlie Dyer's devotional is next. Stick around for more. Like 0:36:58.860 --> 0:37:04.080 any language, the English language is filled with fascinating expressions, sayings, 0:37:04.080 --> 0:37:07.110 bits of wisdom, tidbits, things that get passed down from 0:37:07.110 --> 0:37:11.130 generation to generation, among those the curious slogan or expression 0:37:11.130 --> 0:37:14.970 close but no cigar. Hi, I'm John Geiger, you're listening 0:37:15.000 --> 0:37:18.210 to The Land and the book and Charlie that is 0:37:18.210 --> 0:37:20.130 somehow connected to your devotional today. 0:37:20.160 --> 0:37:22.770 It's a vital part of my devotional. Okay. 0:37:22.770 --> 0:37:24.839 I'm looking forward to seeing how you connect all that 0:37:24.840 --> 0:37:28.290 after we enjoy this testimony from an Israel traveler who 0:37:28.290 --> 0:37:30.120 has this impression for you and me. 0:37:34.239 --> 0:37:38.560 Hi, I'm Kathleen and I have just thoroughly enjoyed this trip. 0:37:38.560 --> 0:37:42.969 It has been just wonderful and in our home church 0:37:42.969 --> 0:37:49.150 we enjoy worship, but I have not experienced worship like 0:37:49.150 --> 0:37:52.840 I did on the Sea of Galilee. It was just 0:37:52.840 --> 0:37:56.500 a closeness to the Lord that I never would have 0:37:56.500 --> 0:37:59.710 believed possible. And I thank you for that. 0:38:00.160 --> 0:38:03.400 This has been a wonderful experience and I don't think 0:38:03.400 --> 0:38:07.480 I'll ever read scripture in the same way again, because 0:38:07.480 --> 0:38:10.299 by being on this tour and with this group and 0:38:10.300 --> 0:38:13.690 with Charlie leading us, it's a wonderful experience to be 0:38:13.690 --> 0:38:17.799 standing in the places, opening up the scripture, having Charlie 0:38:17.800 --> 0:38:20.380 read us the scripture, and then his explanation of the 0:38:20.380 --> 0:38:26.230 scripture to just really make it come alive and become 0:38:26.230 --> 0:38:29.770 more real than just reading some words on a page 0:38:29.770 --> 0:38:32.919 of a book. And so it is really helped me 0:38:32.920 --> 0:38:35.260 to connect the land and the book. 0:38:37.160 --> 0:38:40.129 Close, but no cigar. I guess we're going to Isaiah 0:38:40.130 --> 0:38:43.310 chapter ten. Charlie, you are amazing. I'm looking forward to 0:38:43.310 --> 0:38:44.930 seeing how you connect all this. Yeah, a. 0:38:44.930 --> 0:38:47.450 Few mental gymnastics as we get here. But it starts 0:38:47.450 --> 0:38:50.719 by growing up in northeastern Pennsylvania. You know, back then, 0:38:50.719 --> 0:38:54.020 summer was a series of festivals and carnivals. Each small 0:38:54.020 --> 0:38:56.510 town seemed to have a week long event sponsored by 0:38:56.510 --> 0:39:00.770 the local volunteer fire department, with rides, concession stands and 0:39:00.770 --> 0:39:03.230 carnival booths where you could try your skill to win 0:39:03.230 --> 0:39:06.229 a prize. But the mother of all gatherings, at least 0:39:06.230 --> 0:39:09.290 in our area, was the Bloomsburg Fair in late September. 0:39:09.350 --> 0:39:11.300 Yet where else could a high school students see the 0:39:11.300 --> 0:39:14.990 world's tallest man, ride the different rides, sample all the 0:39:14.989 --> 0:39:19.970 latest gastronomical treats, and watch some fancy shows and performances. 0:39:20.060 --> 0:39:22.670 You know, that was just an amazing time, but one 0:39:22.670 --> 0:39:25.670 of my favorite pastimes was trying out my skill at 0:39:25.670 --> 0:39:28.520 the different games that lined the midway. I guess I 0:39:28.520 --> 0:39:31.130 was too naive to realize that most of them were 0:39:31.130 --> 0:39:33.710 rigged though. One time I actually won a box of 0:39:33.710 --> 0:39:36.170 candy bars, adding up all the money I spent on 0:39:36.170 --> 0:39:38.330 the midway in those years, I probably ended up with 0:39:38.330 --> 0:39:41.450 the most expensive box of chocolates I ever bought, but 0:39:41.450 --> 0:39:44.630 I did learn an interesting expression while playing those games, 0:39:44.900 --> 0:39:47.359 as the wooden ring I tossed would slip off the 0:39:47.360 --> 0:39:50.330 stand holding the prize I was trying to corral. The 0:39:50.330 --> 0:39:53.690 carny would smile and say, tough luck, kid. Close, but 0:39:53.690 --> 0:39:57.080 no cigar. I didn't smoke. I had no desire to 0:39:57.080 --> 0:40:00.050 win a cigar, but I learned what that expression meant. 0:40:00.050 --> 0:40:03.080 It came from earlier days at carnivals when the prize 0:40:03.080 --> 0:40:06.080 is being offered were often cigars, and the carny was 0:40:06.080 --> 0:40:08.900 saying the customer was very close to winning, but had 0:40:08.900 --> 0:40:12.109 just missed the mark. There was no reward for the effort, 0:40:12.110 --> 0:40:14.300 but if he wanted to pay and try again, well, 0:40:14.300 --> 0:40:17.239 that was always an option. So what does that old 0:40:17.239 --> 0:40:20.480 memory from the fair have to do with today's devotional? Well, 0:40:20.480 --> 0:40:23.120 I want to take you to the northern edge of Jerusalem, 0:40:23.120 --> 0:40:27.170 where God said, in effect, to the king of Assyria, close, 0:40:27.170 --> 0:40:30.770 but no cigar. So follow me out onto the balcony 0:40:30.770 --> 0:40:34.670 of the Dan Jerusalem Hotel on Mount Scopus. The balcony 0:40:34.670 --> 0:40:37.520 is a great place to look out over Jerusalem to 0:40:37.520 --> 0:40:39.920 our left is the Mount of Olives, and just behind 0:40:39.920 --> 0:40:43.880 us is Hebrew University. The hotel and Hebrew University are 0:40:43.880 --> 0:40:47.600 located on Mount Scopus, but Mount Scopus is really just 0:40:47.600 --> 0:40:50.600 the northern extension of the Mount of Olives. In front 0:40:50.600 --> 0:40:53.090 of us, just about a mile away, you can spot 0:40:53.090 --> 0:40:55.850 the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock, with its 0:40:55.850 --> 0:41:00.110 golden dome shimmering in the afternoon sun. In Old Testament times, 0:41:00.110 --> 0:41:02.210 we would be standing in an area where the village 0:41:02.210 --> 0:41:06.950 of Nov or Nob was located. In first Samuel 21. 0:41:06.950 --> 0:41:10.070 David stopped at Nob when fleeing from Saul and received 0:41:10.070 --> 0:41:13.640 consecrated bread from a group of priests who were living there. 0:41:13.730 --> 0:41:16.069 But I want us to go forward in history another 0:41:16.070 --> 0:41:20.270 300 years to the time of King Hezekiah, because Nob 0:41:20.270 --> 0:41:24.110 makes another appearance in the Bible. At that time, Hezekiah 0:41:24.110 --> 0:41:27.500 had rebelled against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and the Assyrians 0:41:27.500 --> 0:41:30.290 were now on the march to put down that rebellion. 0:41:30.380 --> 0:41:34.490 Sennacherib had a brilliant master plan for attack. He divided 0:41:34.489 --> 0:41:37.370 his army into two segments to catch Jerusalem in a 0:41:37.370 --> 0:41:41.030 pincer movement. Part of his army moved south into the shallow, 0:41:41.060 --> 0:41:45.049 the low foothills southwest of Jerusalem. There they attack the 0:41:45.050 --> 0:41:48.770 key cities of Judah like Lachish and Zaka. This blocked 0:41:48.770 --> 0:41:52.340 the avenue of escape south from Jerusalem, and it also 0:41:52.340 --> 0:41:55.040 stopped the Egyptians from being able to march north to 0:41:55.040 --> 0:41:58.310 rescue Hezekiah. This plan of attack is found in the 0:41:58.310 --> 0:42:02.030 cities described in Micah one and in second Kings 18 0:42:02.030 --> 0:42:05.930 and Isaiah 36. But the second prong of Sennacherib's army 0:42:05.930 --> 0:42:08.870 marched down the center of the country toward Jerusalem from 0:42:08.870 --> 0:42:11.720 the north, sweeping up all the small towns in its 0:42:11.719 --> 0:42:15.830 path while blocking Jerusalem's way of escape in that direction. 0:42:15.830 --> 0:42:19.160 The list of towns taken by the Assyrians is described 0:42:19.160 --> 0:42:22.820 in Isaiah 1028 to 32, and the list is a 0:42:22.850 --> 0:42:26.930 who's who of towns north of Jerusalem. Let's follow a 0:42:26.930 --> 0:42:29.569 serious plan of attack as that prong of the army 0:42:29.570 --> 0:42:33.980 head south. The first town listed is Arthur Ayotte, which 0:42:33.980 --> 0:42:37.040 is another name for I or I, the town first 0:42:37.040 --> 0:42:42.110 captured by Joshua following his destruction of Jericho. Passing through Migron, 0:42:42.110 --> 0:42:44.810 they stop at mishmash, which is where they set up 0:42:44.810 --> 0:42:47.660 as a supply depot. Now this was once the base 0:42:47.660 --> 0:42:51.020 of operation for King Saul, which was later captured by 0:42:51.020 --> 0:42:54.290 the Philistines, only to be recaptured in a daring attack 0:42:54.290 --> 0:42:58.009 by Jonathan and his armor bearer. Both towns are just 0:42:58.010 --> 0:43:02.630 over five miles north of Jerusalem, crossing over the pass, 0:43:02.660 --> 0:43:05.420 a strategic crossing point I talked about a few months ago. 0:43:05.420 --> 0:43:08.930 The Assyrian army paused to set up Camp Agaba immediately 0:43:08.930 --> 0:43:13.100 to the south. Isaiah then notes that Rama trembled. Well, 0:43:13.100 --> 0:43:16.609 that makes perfect sense, because just two miles west, along 0:43:16.610 --> 0:43:19.850 the main road from Jaba, was the strategic crossing point 0:43:19.850 --> 0:43:23.810 of Rama. Rama guarded the front door to Jerusalem. The 0:43:23.810 --> 0:43:27.800 main North-South road in and out of Jerusalem passed through Rama, 0:43:27.800 --> 0:43:30.440 and so did the main East-West road that stretched from 0:43:30.440 --> 0:43:33.590 the international highway down by the coast, all the way 0:43:33.590 --> 0:43:36.919 over to Jericho, the Jordan Valley, and ultimately the. Kings 0:43:36.920 --> 0:43:41.360 Highway in the hills of modern Jordan. Capturing Rama effectively 0:43:41.360 --> 0:43:45.080 locked the door on anyone from Jerusalem, escaping to the north, 0:43:45.080 --> 0:43:49.010 west or east. About a century after David and almost 0:43:49.010 --> 0:43:53.600 200 years before Hezekiah, Basha, King of Israel, fortified Rama 0:43:53.600 --> 0:43:56.569 in his war against King Asa of Judah, and the 0:43:56.570 --> 0:43:59.450 action so frightened Asa that he made a treaty with 0:43:59.450 --> 0:44:02.090 the king of Syria to get him to attack Israel, 0:44:02.090 --> 0:44:06.020 to force Basha to abandon his plans. But now the 0:44:06.020 --> 0:44:09.530 king of Assyria has finished what Basha had started. The 0:44:09.530 --> 0:44:13.850 bars on the door slammed shut. But Sennacherib isn't finished. 0:44:13.969 --> 0:44:17.120 Two miles south is the town of Gibeah, the capital 0:44:17.120 --> 0:44:20.120 of Israel, during the time of King Saul. But now 0:44:20.120 --> 0:44:24.290 Gibeah of Saul flees. The people abandon the town in panic, 0:44:24.290 --> 0:44:29.029 running toward Jerusalem. Several other small villages nearby quickly empty 0:44:29.030 --> 0:44:32.990 of their inhabitants, including the inhabitants of Anatolia. Now, if 0:44:32.989 --> 0:44:35.870 that sounds familiar, that was the city assigned to the 0:44:35.870 --> 0:44:39.589 priests and later became the hometown of Jeremiah the prophet. 0:44:39.590 --> 0:44:43.130 It's less than two miles east of Gibeah and less 0:44:43.130 --> 0:44:46.400 than two miles from where we're now standing. And that 0:44:46.400 --> 0:44:48.830 leads us to this hotel balcony near the site of 0:44:48.830 --> 0:44:52.760 ancient Nob. Isaiah writes, this day they will hold it Nob. 0:44:52.760 --> 0:44:54.950 They will shake their fist at the mount of the 0:44:54.950 --> 0:44:58.430 daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem, just a 0:44:58.430 --> 0:45:02.270 mile away from Jerusalem, the Temple of Solomon clearly visible 0:45:02.270 --> 0:45:05.330 in the distance. But all Kingston Jacob can do is 0:45:05.330 --> 0:45:09.200 shake his fist at Jerusalem, as God promised to Hezekiah 0:45:09.200 --> 0:45:12.529 through Isaiah, the king of Assyria will not enter this 0:45:12.530 --> 0:45:15.109 city or shoot an arrow here. By the way that 0:45:15.110 --> 0:45:18.470 he came, he will return. He will not enter this city. 0:45:18.860 --> 0:45:22.340 Or as one of the carnival barkers might say, close, 0:45:22.340 --> 0:45:27.470 but no cigar. So what happened? The Bible gives the answer. 0:45:27.590 --> 0:45:29.359 The angel of the Lord went out and put to 0:45:29.360 --> 0:45:33.200 death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When the people 0:45:33.200 --> 0:45:36.590 got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies. 0:45:36.590 --> 0:45:40.730 So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, broke camp and withdrew. With 0:45:40.730 --> 0:45:44.719 victory seemingly in sight, God stepped in to knock the 0:45:44.719 --> 0:45:48.140 wooden ring off the peg and force King Sennacherib to 0:45:48.140 --> 0:45:50.989 head home. So what can we take with us from 0:45:50.989 --> 0:45:53.719 this view of Jerusalem at the sight of ancient Nob? 0:45:54.050 --> 0:45:56.719 I think the spot's a great reminder that God is 0:45:56.719 --> 0:46:01.430 in complete control in spite of our circumstances. No matter 0:46:01.430 --> 0:46:04.100 what's happening in your life, no matter how great the 0:46:04.100 --> 0:46:08.330 problems you're facing, no matter how insurmountable the odds might seem, 0:46:08.330 --> 0:46:12.320 God is still in control. Satan and his allies can 0:46:12.320 --> 0:46:14.870 appear to be close to victory, but in the end 0:46:14.870 --> 0:46:19.670 they will not win. Close, but no cigar. Just remember, 0:46:19.670 --> 0:46:23.509 no matter how strong the foe may appear, don't give up. 0:46:23.750 --> 0:46:27.410 Look up. Hmm. That is just great, Charlie. And I'm 0:46:27.410 --> 0:46:30.020 guessing there are a whole lot of people that found 0:46:30.020 --> 0:46:33.800 that encouraging, as I did appreciate you digging into that story. Close, 0:46:33.800 --> 0:46:36.230 but no cigar. It's available to listen to again at 0:46:36.230 --> 0:46:41.300 our website. The land and the book.org. You'll find information 0:46:41.300 --> 0:46:44.779 about today's guest, past programs, and more. The land and 0:46:44.780 --> 0:46:47.840 the book.org. Our time is gone, but we want to 0:46:47.840 --> 0:46:50.900 thank you for making time for the land and the book, 0:46:50.930 --> 0:46:54.770 a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.